Phil Johnson
Republican | Texas
Candidate Profile
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Phil Johnson
Party
Republican
Election Year
2014
Election
General
Race
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 8
Incumbent
Yes
Links
EDUCATION
Texas Tech School of Law, Lubbock, Tx, J.D., 1975
Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Tx, B.A., 1965
WORK & MILITARY
Crenshaw, Dupree & Milam, Law Firm Partner, 23
U.S. Air Force, Captain, 7
U.S. Navy Reserve, E-3, 3
AFFILIATIONS
Trinity Christian Schools Supervising Committee, Member, Chair 2 terms, Southwest Lighthouse for the Blind, Board of Direc
Member, Chair 2 terms, Lubbock Area Foundation, Board of Directors, Member
Lubbock Legal Aid Society,, Member, Director, Chair of Board 1 term, Commission on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, Advisory Group
Member, Carillon Foundation, Board of Directors, Member
Downtown Kiwanis Club of Amarillo, Member, Director, President of Board 1 term, Golden Spread Council, Boy Scouts of America B/D
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Chief Justice, 7th Court of Appeals, 2
Justice, 7th Court of Appeals, 4
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
none
Race
ENDORSEMENTS
CONSERVATIVE (6)
Cathie Adams
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility
Texas Alliance for Life PAC
Texas Home School Coalition
Texas Right to Life
OTHER (3)
Perry, Rick
Susan Combs
Texas Civil Justice League
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (9)
Texas Right to Life PAC
Texas Home School Coalition PAC
Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC
Texas Civil Justice League PAC
Tom Phillips
SELECTED CONTRIBUTIONS
CONSERVATIVE
GIVEN BY CANDIDATE (6)
Local, County, and District Republican Organizations
Republican Chairman's Associations
Republican Women's Organizations
State Republican Party Organizations
Texas Civil Justice League
RECEIVED BY CANDIDATE (27)
Associated Builders and Contractors
Bass Family PACs
Cathie Adams
Charles Lee Perry
Connie Scott
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
1. Election of judges by the people for a definite term of office is the best way to select judges.
Neutral
2. The U.S. Constitution is a living document and should be interpreted according to the circumstances of each generation.
Strongly Disagree
3. Foreign laws should be used in American courts even where those laws conflict with constitutional rights.
Strongly Disagree
4. Free enterprise and the right to private property turn mankind's natural self interest into the fairest and most productive economic system there is, and are the key to national prosperity.
Strongly Agree
5. Which current Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court best reflects your judicial philosophy?
Justice Antonin Scalia
6. Which U.S. president elected to that office in 1960 or thereafter best reflects your political philosophy?
Ronald Reagan
7. Which U.S. Supreme Court decision do you think has most impacted society? Please explain your answer.
There have been many decisions that have greatly impacted society, but Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), has had the most impact on current society. Roe began a rancourous national debate that continues unabated over abortion issues, the role of the Supreme Court in interpreting the Constitution and the role of the national government in the abortion issue, as well as other issues relating to individual rights.
8. Based on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, please arrange the following entities, starting with the highest source of authority, and continue the list in descending order of authority, skipping any that do not apply: Academia, Congress, Constitution, God, Industry, Media, Professional Sports, Supreme Court, Voters.
God, Constitution, Voters, Congress, Supreme Court.
9. What in the nature of mankind caused America’s Founders to carefully define, separate, and limit powers within the Constitution?
The inherent tendency of men and women to want to acquire wealth and to acquire and exercise power over others.
10. Please give an example of a judicial decision where strict constructionist policy was violated. Explain.
Roe v. Wade, where the U.S. Supreme Court effectively added language to the U.S. Constitution by holding that the Constitution provided a right to terminate a pregnancy, overriding numerous state laws.
11. What is the proper use of legislative history in interpreting statutory law?
A statute should be interpreted so as to effect the intent of the legislature that adopted it. Legislative intent is best shown by the language of the statute. Only in instances where the language of the statute makes the legislature's intent uncertain should legislative history be consulted.
12. What specific text in the Declaration of Independence provides the critical basis for individual rights and the form of government guaranteed in the United States Constitution?
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."
13. Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a Christian. I believe that the Bible is God's Word. Biblical teachings form the basis of my moral and spiritual convictions.
